Baggage tag



Dec. 2,9, 1970 5. J. ANANIA memes TAG Filed Dec. 10. 1968 INVENTOR JAMESA. ANA/WA flw az f ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,550,295 BAGGAGE TAGJames A. Anania, Newark, N.J., assignor to Irving U. Young, Newark, NJ.Filed Dec. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 782,691 Int. Cl. G09f 3/13 US. Cl. 40-21 2Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tag having a co-acting aperture andlocking tabs for attachment of the tag to the handle of a piece ofluggage and including a tear-off portion serving as a receipt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Baggage tags of various constructions andconfigurations are known in this art. Generally, the prior baggage tagsare of unnecessarily complex and costly construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A baggage tage made in accordance with thisinvention comprises a strip of heavy paper, or other suitable materialformed into a desired configuration by a single stamping operation. Anaperture is provided substantially in the center portion of the strip.One end of the strip includes a pair of pre-scored locking tabs whichare adapted for insertion through the aperture, thereby to form a loopto encompass the handle of a piece of luggage, said tabs and apertureco-acting in locking relationship to retain the tag attached to thehandle. The other end of the strip includes a receipt portion defined bya perforated line.

An object of this invention is the provision of a baggage tag of simple,economical construction and which includes integral, cooperating lockingelements for attachment of the tag to the handle of a piece of luggageor other anchoring means.

An object of this invention is the provision of a one-piece tagcomprising a strip of flexible material having an aperture, formedtherein, a pair of oppositely directed locking tabs adapted forco-action with the aperture to retain one portion of the strip in theform of a loop, and a tear-off receipt portion attached to anotherportion of the strip.

The above-stated and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description when taken with theaccompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the drawingsare for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as definingthe scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latterpurpose to the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings wherein like referencecharacters denote like parts in the several views;

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a baggage tag made in accordance with thisinvention, and in the flat condition;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the upper portion of the tag foldedback and with the circular end thereof partially inserted through theaperture formed substantially in the midportion of the tag;

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the locking tabs passed through theaperture and the scored receipt portion of the tag separated from themain body;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view corresponding to FIG. 3 but with thereceipt portion attached;

3,550,295 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 1 and showinga modification of the receipt portion of the tag; and

FIG. 6 shows the tag of FIG. 5 formed into a loop.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the tag is die cut from a single piece of heavypaper, or other flexible, strong material, to form upper and lowerstrips 10 and 11, respectively, and a somewhat wider central portion 12having an aperture 13 formed therein. This aperture, having an eifectivewidth corresponding to that of the strip 10, is defined by twotriangular openings 14, 14, having two, downwardlyconverging base lines,thereby resulting in a generallytriangular flap 15. A pair of pre-scoredlocking tabs 16 and 16' extend from opposite sides of the strip 10,which strip terminates in a circular end 17. A perforated line 18 isprovided, whereby the strip 11 may be torn off to serve as a receipt forthe baggage or other other article to be checked.

To attach the tag to a luggage handle, the strip 10 is bent back and thecircular end 17 inserted into the aperture 13 and under the flap 15, asshown in FIG. 2. The locking tabs 16 and 16' now are folded back andpulled completely through the aperture. Thereafter, these tabs areunfolded and pulled back against the corners of the aperture formed atthe base of the flap 15, thereby locking the strip 10 in the form of aloop 20 as seen in FIG. 4. The overlying flap 15 serves to retain thelocking tabs 16 and 16' in the extended positions, thereby preventingthe accidental unlocking of the tag. In FIG. 3, the receipt portion 11is shown detached from the tag.

In the modification shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper portion of the tagis the same as that shown in FIG. 1 and corresponding parts areidentified by similar reference numerals. However, the lower portion ofthe tag is of an increased width to provide an enlarged receipt portion22 defined by the perforated line 23.

Having now described the invention, those skilled in this art will beable to make various changes and modifications without thereby departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A baggage tag comprising:

(a) a normally flat strip of material having a relatively narrow upperportion, a central portion of increased width and a lower portion,

(b) an aperture formed in the said central portion of the strip, saidaperture being defined by a straight wall having a length substantiallyequal to the width of the upper portion of the strip, two side wallsextending from said straight wall and aligned with the side walls of theupper portion of the strip, and a pair of converging Walls directedtoward the center line of the upper portion of the strip and terminatingat points spaced along the said straight wall, and

(c) a pair of locking tabs extending from opposed side walls of the saidupper portion of the strip, said tabs being foldable against the stripto pass through the said aperture.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1, including means forming a lineof perforations in the said lower portion of the strip to define atear-off receipt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,768,458 10/1956 Anania 2XJEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner

